Do the Panthers remain the team of the hour?
A somewhat surprising top game will take place on Thursday when the Houston Texans host the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers, in particular, may be considered one of the positive surprises of the early part of the season.
With new quarterback Sam Darnold they are currently 2-0 and the 26-7 win over the Saints on Sunday can almost be considered a sensation. The Saints dismantled the Packers around MVP Aaron Rodgers the week before
The NFL is playing a bit crazy so far, which is why the Thursday Night Game is also difficult to assess. However, it could shift a bit more clearly towards Carolina if Tyrod Taylor is out on the Texans’ side, which is looking strong at the moment.
Without their experienced playmaker, we see Houston without much of a chance and thus in Texans vs. Panthers, our prediction is a success for the away team, where the total points, however, should not skyrocket again.
Start of Thursday Night Game of NFL Week 3 is Friday night at 02:15 in Houston.
United States Houston Texans – Statistics & current form
The Houston Texans are the most curious franchise this season. Why? Because there are just so many unanswered questions when we cover them. With everything currently looking like Tyrod Taylor’s injury will force him to miss Thursday, the question is who will replace him
On Sunday Davis Mills did that for the time being. The rookie would therefore also be the first alternative for the Thursday Night Game, if rumours did not persist that Deshaun Watson is actually an option
Is Watson’s surprise comeback coming?
The former Texans superstar has been charged with multiple counts, however, and a Thursday appearance would not only bring plenty of criticism from fans, it could also lead to the NFL being forced to impose a suspension.
The only reason they’ve avoided that so far is that Watson never showed up on the score sheet anyway. Using all of these circumstances, we strongly suspect Watson will not be on the field Thursday either.
Without Taylor or Watson no chance
Why are we going into such detail on the quarterback question? Because it is everything for Houston, as we saw again on Sunday. Without a top playmaker, the franchise is considered one of the weakest in the league.
Thus, we expect the Texans to lose on Thursday as well. Against this strong Panthers defence, they should not be able to score more than 15 points of their own, which makes a bet on subpar points a nice alternative for Houston vs. Carolina.
Key Players:
– QB: Davis Mills
– RB: Mark Ingram
– WR: Brandin Cooks
– TE: Jordan Akins
– K: Joey Slye
United States Carolina Panthers – Statistics & Current form
The Panthers are one of the surprise teams this season, along with the Raiders. Well, there are only two game days played, but if we look at their programme of the next six weeks, then something is definitely possible this season.
Besides the Texans, they have to play three teams from the weaker NFC East as well as the disastrous Vikings and Falcons. So even the playoffs are possible and that despite the strong competition from the Saints and Bucs in their division.
Panthers defence as showpiece
Somewhat surprisingly, their defence has also proved to be the anchor of their success In the preseason, they scored an average of over 25 points, the sixth most in the entire NFC, but they are currently allowing just 10.5 points per game – the best in the NFL.
And their opponents on game day two were none other than the Saints, who played the Packers to the ground the week before. But the Panthers defence around Thompson, Jackson and Burris held them to just seven meagre points.
Darnold not outstanding, but absolutely solid
With that, their defence formed a backbone that quarterback Sam Darnold could also lean on. The new quarterback, who came from the Jets, put up ratings of 102 and 99.1 so far, which can be called a very solid average.
However, that was enough to win their first two games in commanding fashion. We expect this to be the case on matchday three as well, when an average to good performance should be enough against Houston.
For Texans against Panthers, the odds on Carolina are significantly lower, but if we combine them with under-points, we already get a decent value. Betting on sub-points only is also a worthwhile option here.
Key Players:
QB: Sam Darnold
– RB: Christian McCaffrey
– WR: Robby Anderson
– TE: Ian Thomas
– K: Zane Gonzalez
Houston Texans – Carolina Panthers Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
Another point in the Panthers’ favour on Thursday is their head-to-head record against Houston in recent years. While the two teams haven’t met that often, the matchups that have occurred in the last decade have all gone to Carolina
It’s worth noting that this matchup doesn’t bode well for a lot of points. In the last three meetings, only 36 total points were scored on average. That’s why the 44.0 to 44.5 set by the bookmakers is a mark that should also be undercut on Thursday.
Besides betting on the Panthers, we recommend betting on the underdogs in the Houston vs. Especially since Carolina’s defence has been the measure of things so far this season, allowing just 10.5 points per game.
United States Houston Texans – Carolina Panthers United States Tip
While there are still some question marks with the Houston Texans, we’re basing our Texans vs Panthers prediction on the current standings and that is that quarterback Tyrod Taylor will be out and Deshaun Watson will not return.
With that in mind, everything points to Carolina picking up their third win of the season. Handicap bets are possible up to -7 on this one, but not our top recommendation. Our No.1 recommendation is betting on the Panthers + sub-points For corresponding tip there are betting odds of 2.45 in the game Texans vs. Panthers.
Betting on the Texans to score few points is also a good option Since their backup quarterback Davis Mills is 22 years young and has only one NFL game under his belt, we can’t expect too many points from him
